Whereas, the Province of Ontario has a plan and/or action to amend the legislation under the Immunization of School Pupils Act (ISPA) regarding religious and conscientious exemption regulations;

Whereas, the proposed and /or tabled amendment requiring “education sessions” interferes with our informed consent rights as specified in Ontario’s Health Care Consent Act, 1996, specifically “Elements of consent” 11. (1) 3. The consent must be given voluntarily. And 4. The consent must not be obtained through misrepresentation or fraud;

Whereas, the proposed and/or tabled amendment interferes with our Constitutional Rights under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms;

Whereas, vaccines are injected complex biochemical compounds that carry a risk of injury and death;

Whereas, the Province of Ontario and the Government of Canada take no responsibility for vaccine injuries and deaths;

Whereas, education sessions are a waste of limited health care dollars that could be better spent elsewhere;

We, the undersigned, petition the Legislative Assembly of Ontario as follows:

Cease the passing of any legislation under the Immunization of School Pupils Act that would require Ontario residents who have made a religious or conscientious decision to exempt their child from any or all vaccinations under the Act;

1) to submit to an “education session” or

2) to submit to any other coerced and/or forced measures under the ISPA.

May 31, 2016 – petitions read into the Ontario Legislature – link to the Hansard here.

June 1, 2016 – petitions read into the Ontario Legislature – link to the Hansard here.

The Ontario government did not respond to the Session 1 petitions

History

**Update May 2016** – The Ontario Legislature has introduced Bill 198 An Act to amend the Immunization of School Pupils Act.

Background: On December 11, 2015, the Ontario government announced plans to amend the Immunization School Pupils Act (ISPA) with a measure that will restrict families’ right of access to vaccine exemptions. Since 1984, ISPA has granted families the legal right to vaccine exemptions for reasons of conscience and religion as well as for medical reasons. The proposed amendment to the Act would force parents to undergo a vaccine “education session” before being allowed to file a vaccine exemption for non-medical reasons. If passed, the proposed changes to the Immunization of School Pupils Act would come into effect for the school year starting in September 2016.

**Update June 2016**

Bill 198 will not pass before the next school year in September according to the National Post. The bill can be advanced in the Fall of 2016 or the Spring of 2017, so please continue to send in petitions (link to petition form below).

*Petition Update October 13, 2016*

The Ontario Legislature was Prorogued when they returned from their summer break on September 12. If the government had been able to get all parties to agree to bring Bill 198 forward, the Immunization of School Pupils Amendment Act (ISPA), 2016, would have stayed as is – Bill 198. This has not happened. This means that Bill 198 is currently “dead”. However the Ontario Liberal government has announced (December 8, 2016) they plan to re-introduce the ISPA Educations Sessions Act as a new bill, which would mean it will get a new Bill number for which we remain alert.